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It is very sad knowing- that men have every opportunity to come to Him but choose to linger in this world’s sin and temporary things. In the end a Christless soul drifts away, never having another hope. ~ a friend

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I hope you've enjoyed my poetry.Thank you!

Thank You for stopping by....

Thank you all, from around the world, who have visited. I sincerely appreciate your support for this free 'Good News' Poetry. May the love for God and each other, make this world a more peaceful place:

How I write. I've been asked so here it is:

Before I explain, let me just say that I am no 'expert' nor have I ever claimed to be. I haven't/don't read books on how to write poetry nor do I read much poetry nor do I know all those 'million dollar words' that define all the different types of poetry. I don't claim to be an 'expert'. So criticize away if you wish. I'll be the first to admit that I am not a perfect professional.

Now that that has been disclosed, for those doing book reports, trying to improve their own poetry or just for the curious, here are some objectives that I try to apply to my own poetry...

1) Be as accurate and honest as possible while rhyming. Sometimes the story (allegory, parable) is fictitious but they are 'real life' situations that have/could happen and the meaning is true/important. Rhyming is easy. It's trying to rhyme, keep a rhythm and keeping the story intact all at the same time that's hard. I use a thesaurus more than a rhyming dictionary because I often have a hard time trying to think of the word I want.

2) Ask questions. A few of my poems are only questions. There are no statements. My "Knocks and Locks" poem is simply a single question - but makes its point clearly.

3) Apply humor.

4) Apply suspense ("Adrift" for example).

5) Run two themes through a poem ("The Sparrow" for example) - one obvious (the hawk and sparrow) and one not so obvious (man and sin) - so those who 'skim through' a poem may enjoy a poem, but they miss the 'meat'.

6) 'Paint' a picture with words - sometimes I feel as though I must get into the details when using such things as a tree, a flower, an "Ol' Barn", grandma's "Apron Strings", etc...

7) Finish poems with a shock or unexpected twist. These are fun to write. "Speed" and "Adrift" both have unexpected encounters in the story.

8) Speaking in 1st person. The reader doesn't think I am delivering a sermon. I am a sinner saved by grace through faith as any Christian so I write it as if I was in that persons (sometimes a sinner or someone depressed) shoes - even though I may not have experienced it personally.

9) I'm sorry, but to me, it's not a poem if it doesn't rhyme or have rhythm. It's something else.

12) Because I focus on helping others, (not for money/profit) and because I love God and country and every soul on earth, and I have nothing to gain or lose from my poetry, how can failure be feared? I can write as free as I wish without being intimidated, questioned, coerced or paid off.

13) Turn the poem into a story. It holds interest and can be written with suspense holding the interest of the reader. I write more story poems lately because people seem to enjoy them and it gives me a chance to make an important point - or a 'moral to the story'.

14) I NEVER write a poem without changing lines, moving lines and/or deleting most/some. I once saved my "throw-away" rhyming lines and had about 120 or so. It's okay to keep the 'cream' and throw away the rest.

15) I may scrap more unfinished poems than I write. I often scrap more lines than I publish. Keep the best ones. Edit, edit, edit.

16) Try not to give away the ending of a poem in the Title. (for example, I did not call "My Horse" poem, "Knocked Off My Horse").

17) Cry. If you re-read your poem and it doesn't bring tears to your eyes, then it's not yet good enough...

18) You can use the perfect words, perfect rhythm and perfect rhymes, but if it doesn't hold the reader's interest, then what good is it if no one reads it? Try to write some suspense into your story.

19) After writing a poem, 'shelve' it for 3 or 4 months. Then take it out and read it again. It's then you'll know if it's a 'masterpiece' or not and can make changes/corrections to it...

21) We all make mistakes spelling. I like to blame my failing eyesight. :)

22) You will notice that many of my poems begin and end with the same lines. I do this because the lines - after reading the poem - have more impact at the end than the beginning.

23) Have fun! You can't write a good poem if you can't have fun doing it.

The challenge of writing poetry is enjoyable. Enlightening others to the truth of God and His Word is reward enough for that challenge. If you love writing, I pray that however you write, it becomes an encouraging blessing to others... Every poem I write is practice for the next one. Continue improving and keep writing!

Sung by Jared Holthe, words by louis gander

Holy Hands

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Opinions

The opinions expressed in poetry in this blog are the sole opinions of Louis Gander. Louis Gander makes no guarantee (in this sinful world) of success of any kind - relationships, physical, financial or other. Therefore, the reader is solely responsible for any and all decisions that he/she might make as a result of reading and interpreting this blog.